Castrol GTX or Mobil 1? 99,100 on a 98 Dodge Grand Caravan.

[Siege]

This is my first oil change after I just moved to California and got set up in my apartment. Tomorrow im going to go change my oil. But my question is this. I currently use Castrol GTX in it... but since the mileage on it is now rather high and just about 100,000 would it hurt or be unsafe to switch to a synthetic oil? What would you all suggest? I hear it's always Mobil 1 this, Castrol GTX that... what should I use? Also, In St.Louis where I moved from.. I always used 5w30 oil. But in Long Beach it's like always warm so I was told I should switch grades also.... what should I use now? Thanks!! Siege

 

[Siege]

BTW.. It's been about 3,700 miles since the last oil change. I forgot to mention that... I know. I was slacking.

 

[Siege]

Also would one oil give better performance and power, while another more protection and better gass mileage? please tell me the differences and what does what with oil. thanks!!

 

[mf150]

considering that you don't have any leaks (I assume), I wouldn't think you'd have a problem switching. It may take a while to get all the build up out of your engine, but synthetics have a wonderful cleaning ability. You will be able to change oil at a regular interval of 5,000 miles (most brands) and even longer for Red Line (12-18,000 miles so they say ). If you feel your engine and seals are in good condition, go for it! You can always switch back. The benifits of synthetic include, but are not limited to: better MPG, cleaner engines, better peroformance due to less internal friction, etc... Also synthetics (Mobil, Red Line, Amsoil) hold up better to heat. They have more anti-corrosive agents in their chemistry (from all that I gather). See what other more knowledgable people have to say about it. [ July 21, 2003, 05:20 AM: Message edited by: mf150 ]

 

[JHZR2]

So long as you dont have any leaks, I wouldnt worry about it... The leak thing is kind of old news... I made the switch in a 200Kmi 1983 MB diesel without problems... I think it wouldnt hurt to use a 10w-30, considering your climate, although a good 5w-30 would be fine as well. You see, when the oil warms up a bit, they will both be the same viscosity anyway. Since you seem a bit curious that temperature might be an issue, you might consider the German castrol synthetic 0w-30. Its viscosity index makes it a bit thicker, and it meets a higher spec (ACEA A3), that is if you can find it. I wouldnt suggest using the made in the USA syntec 0w-30. All in all,.Castrol GTX is a fine oil, and their 10w-30 is one of their best products and one of the best dine 10w-30s out on the market. I have had good results with their 5w-30 as well. FOr mileage, engine cleanliness, drain time extension, etc., you could consider the synthetic. 5 vs 10w-30 is a personal choice, you could try both, do oil analyses on each and see for sure which works better. Dino vs synth is also a personal choice. Remember, synthetics are the wave of the future, but their performance at low mileage drain intervals isnt anything spectacular compared to dino oils. You have to decide, your vehicle will be fine either way. JMH

 

[Siege]

quote:

---

Originally posted by razel: Hello fellow South Los Angelino, I've been living here since the mid 80's and Castrol GTX 10w30 has always been used in all the cars I drove. I recently began changing the oil for myself and recommend using two treatments of AutoRX then use whatever is the least expensive 5w30 or 10w30 Energy Conserving dino oil you can find between Pennzoil, Castrol GTX, Chevron Supreme (usually Kragen has Chevron Supreme for sale about every month or so for .69 per quart) with preventative AutoRX treatments and religiously change the oil whenever the last 4 digits of your odometer reads 3333, 6666, and 0000. The temperate climate in LA isn't a major stress on car oil and since you live in Long Beach, depending on how close to the beach you live you may have more problems with salt instead of the your oil. Enjoy the weather!

---

I actually live a couple of blocks from the ocean actually. I live right off of 4th street.. and it goes like, 4th, 3rd, then Broadway then like Ocean I think. But salt shouldn't be an issue since I'm not actually on the beach right? But all in all I think I'm going to use 10 w30 since it seems to be the popular south california thing. But I still cant decide between just Castrol GTX or Mobil 1. Tough decision.. That guy was right, Synthetic is the wave of the future. I just wonder if I really would benefit from it over regular Castrol. I usually drive pretty hard, fast and about 25 minutes each way to work on the freeway. And even my city driving is a bit rough also... more reccomendations please? Also, what about all the rest of my fluids.. like transmission, brake, etc... is it best to just change them when they get low? Or after a certain time? I don't know when the last time the transmission fluid was done but one time I let my mom use my car and she actually had Jiffy Lube do it. It's actually my first car so I'm trying to get knowledgeable about it.. especially after such a big move from St.Louis to Long Beach.

 

[razel]

Sounds like you live nearby Belmont Shore so your probably won't have a problem with salt, minerals, and moisture. Generally if you car is not garaged, can smell the ocean, gets foggy often and early then the sun heats things up you'll have a problem. Regardless, I'd still ask the neighbors if they had any underbody rust problems. You will get minimal benefit over Castrol GTX when using Mobil 1 if you change your oil frequently and religously. If you go with Mobil 1 your wallet may be lighter which may make your car go faster. For Mobil 1 fans, I'm not ragging M1. I think synth oils are great, just not worth the money unless your lucky to find it at a low enough price. Chrevon Supreme for .69 a quart is hard to beat. The cost of one 5 quart oil change with Chrevon is less than the cost of one quart of Mobil 1. That $16-$20 saved can pay for AutoRX or other products you may use during an oil change. You'll get better cleaning with a maintainence dose of AutoRX than just Mobil 1. Since you say your driving is hard, I think you'll get the most benefit and car longevity (more MPG, less stress, less wear and tear on you and your car) if you ease on the driving habits. They do a good job here in LA to time the street lights so that if you are around the speed limit, they'll always be green. Just drive your regular route and try to stay within 7 MPH of the speed limit on the streets and you may be surprized. I recently was. My city MPG used to be 16-17 without using the AC, after finding the right speeds and keeping the revs below 2300 RPM, my MPG went to 19, almost the same as my freeway MPG and that's with using AC during these hot summer months when the warmer air reduces engine performance. I'm sure during winter with cooler air, no AC and even lower revs, I may be able to get 20 or even 21. [ July 21, 2003, 03:48 PM: Message edited by: razel ]

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by razel: You will get minimal benefit over Castrol GTX when using Mobil 1 if you change your oil frequently and religously. If you go with Mobil 1 your wallet may be lighter which may make your car go faster. For Mobil 1 fans, I'm not ragging M1. I think synth oils are great, just not worth the money..... Chrevon Supreme for .69 a quart is hard to beat. The cost of one 5 quart oil change with Chrevon is less than the cost of one quart of Mobil 1.

---

Razel, very wisely said, my friend. It is hard to tell who is more crazy. The Big Oil company who spends $5 on advertising for every buck it makes on X*1 synthetic motor oil, or the people who believe their kooky advertising enough to pay a 3X premium for their snake oil. The important thing is, on a bang-for-buck basis, synthetic oil gives the motorist NO advantages over dino oil.

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

The important thing is, on a bang-for-buck basis, synthetic oil gives the motorist NO advantages over dino oil.

---

Sure it does, synthetics are for those who would rather not be stuck under their car every 3k. Some people's time is worth more than $$$.

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:

quote:

---

The important thing is, on a bang-for-buck basis, synthetic oil gives the motorist NO advantages over dino oil.

---

Sure it does, synthetics are for those who would rather not be stuck under their car every 3k. Some people's time is worth more than $$$.

---

For many car enthusiasts, their ride is their "baby." So, all that time being stuck under the car is not figured into the bean counting sessions. The day when synthetics deliver 3X less wear, and guaranteed 3X longer service mileage than dino oil is the day I will switch over. And, oh yeah, I forgot to add: they got to be improved so that they don't kill my seals and gaskets, too!!!!!!!

 

[pscholte]

F2, I think the truth lies somewhere between your bias against synthetics and mine against Castrol GTX...I believe synthetics are better than you believe and GTX is better than I believe. I made the first move...I bought the German Castrol synthetic. [ July 21, 2003, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

 

[TexasTDI]

It's never too late to switch to a synthetic. I recommend Amsoil.

 

[TexasTDI]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Flimflam: The day when synthetics deliver 3X less wear, and guaranteed 3X longer service mileage than dino oil is the day I will switch over. And, oh yeah, I forgot to add: they got to be improved so that they don't kill my seals and gaskets, too!!!!!!!

---

Oil analysis has proven synthetics offer longer drain periods than dino oils. I change my synthetic oil every 10k miles. (That's over 3x the standard dino oils 3000 miles) I'm positive I could go even longer, but won't until I have the oil analysed. No problems with my gaskets here either. The only reason some people experience leaks when switching from dino to synthetic is because all the dino sludge is flushed out of the cracks in the gaskets.

 

[razel]

Hello fellow South Los Angelino, I've been living here since the mid 80's and Castrol GTX 10w30 has always been used in all the cars I drove. I recently began changing the oil for myself and recommend using two treatments of AutoRX then use whatever is the least expensive 5w30 or 10w30 Energy Conserving dino oil you can find between Pennzoil, Castrol GTX, Chevron Supreme (usually Kragen has Chevron Supreme for sale about every month or so for .69 per quart) with preventative AutoRX treatments and religiously change the oil whenever the last 4 digits of your odometer reads 3333, 6666, and 0000. The temperate climate in LA isn't a major stress on car oil and since you live in Long Beach, depending on how close to the beach you live you may have more problems with salt instead of the your oil. Enjoy the weather! [ July 21, 2003, 12:40 PM: Message edited by: razel ]

 

[wulimaster]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Flimflam:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:

quote:

---

The important thing is, on a bang-for-buck basis, synthetic oil gives the motorist NO advantages over dino oil.

---

Sure it does, synthetics are for those who would rather not be stuck under their car every 3k. Some people's time is worth more than $$$.

---

For many car enthusiasts, their ride is their "baby." So, all that time being stuck under the car is not figured into the bean counting sessions. The day when synthetics deliver 3X less wear, and guaranteed 3X longer service mileage than dino oil is the day I will switch over. And, oh yeah, I forgot to add: they got to be improved so that they don't kill my seals and gaskets, too!!!!!!!

---

So I guess you switched over to synthetics about 20+ years ago when they got the blend of group 4/5 correctly balanced for seals. Rockwell extends the change interval on its transmissions from 100k to 500k miles with approved synthetics. New corvettes have a 15k change interval with Mobil 1. As for wear, a good pao synthetic will cut wear by more than half for some internal parts and many times that for others. You seem to understand price but fail to understand cost. As in Total Cost of Ownership. Here is a brief list of the benefits. Better fuel economy over the length between oil changes. Lower emissions. Cooler operating temperatures. Cleaner interior of engine and oil passages. Extended oil drain intervals. Less oil consumption. Much less wear on engines parts and pvc valve. Extends time between valve lash adjustments. Virtually eliminates ring sticking and breaking. Virtually eliminates valve guide wear. Less wear on engine dry startups. Less oil to reclaim. Less empty oil containers and cartons in our landfills. Less air pollution More free time with less oil changes. Why? Thicker oil film for a given weight. HT/HS Higher film strength 3000psi versus 500psi. Additives don't have to work as hard and last longer. Lower volitility. Very low amount of VII Synthetics film clings to metals longer High viscocity basestocks remain shear stable. The bottom line is that dinos cost more in time and money in the short and long run. In a typical comparison of dino changed at 3k miles and Mobil 1 changed at 5k, the cost savings in fuel alone pays for the difference in price. In a long term test the maintenance costs saved will be double the costs of the oil. If you typically trade your vehicle in after 5 yrs and 75k miles then the costs will be close but the savings will still go to the synthetic due to fuel, oil, and filter savings. The person who purchases the used car will be carrying the wear and tear loses. How about it? Any dino users want to do a six month fuel economy and price test?

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by wulimaster:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Flimflam:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:

quote:

---

The important thing is, on a bang-for-buck basis, synthetic oil gives the motorist NO advantages over dino oil.

---

Sure it does, synthetics are for those who would rather not be stuck under their car every 3k. Some people's time is worth more than $$$.

---

For many car enthusiasts, their ride is their "baby." So, all that time being stuck under the car is not figured into the bean counting sessions. The day when synthetics deliver 3X less wear, and guaranteed 3X longer service mileage than dino oil is the day I will switch over. And, oh yeah, I forgot to add: they got to be improved so that they don't kill my seals and gaskets, too!!!!!!!

---

If you typically trade your vehicle in after 5 yrs and 75k miles then the costs will be close but the savings will still go to the synthetic due to fuel, oil, and filter savings. The person who purchases the used car will be carrying the wear and tear loses. How about it? Any dino users want to do a six month fuel economy and price test?

---

1/2 of the time, I am that person who purchases the used car, they usually are 1981's with at least 150,000 miles on them. The used cars I purchase are invariably run on cheap dino the whole time before I got them. Their cheap dino diet continued unabated after I bought them. Same story, used or new car. Never had engine-related problems. Never even had the heads off. Never any varnish, gunk, or goop build-up. In brief, engines never missed a beat with cheap dino oil. I lost money on crap cars, but only because of their crap electrical systems and cooling systems that caused me to be towed in many a time. But we never needed to open up any engine. Believe me, the crap cars I drove (Fords), had they needed engine jobs, we'd have sent them to the Crusher instead. They were not worth the servicing.